Two Russian Hostages Escape Nigerian Captors

Two Russian expatriates kidnapped two months ago by gunmen in the Niger Delta were rescued on Thursday by Nigerian soldiers on routine patrol, a military spokesman said.

Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said the two Russians had escaped from their captors and wandered in the delta for several days before being spotted by Nigerian troops.

"(They) escaped from a yet to be identified military camp and for the past five days were wandering in the creeks before our own patrol team saw and rescued them," Musa said.

Gunmen in speedboats on Dec. 20 kidnapped the two Russians working for an aluminium company in the port town of Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom.

The two Russians worked for Nigeria's sole aluminum smelter plant ALSCON, which is owned by the world's largest aluminum producer, Russia's United Company RUSAL.

Hundreds of foreigners have been seized in the Niger Delta since early 2006, most of whom have been released unharmed.

The insecurity in the delta, home to Nigeria's oil and gas sector, has cut the country's oil output by a fifth over the past three years.